This is your biggest problem: you think everyone who doesn’t align with your country is a pawn of another country. And I just don’t mean the regular Chinese civilians, but reading interviews and reports from your officials, it looks like your govt also have this same view. This is a big mistake of your country. It means that your officials don’t understand your neighbours, they don’t understand the relationships and dynamics between your neighbours and the US. Remember what your ancient said, know your enemies, know yourself......but its seems to me that your officials truly don’t know and don’t understand your friends and enemies. I don’t know about Japan and South Korea, but Vietnamese and Thai officials love it when your govt underestimate and mistaken Vietnam and Thailand as weak and powerless pawn being bullied+manipulated by the US. Putting on that image has been our modus operandi for centuries but it seems like your officials never learn.